Barack Obama - The US President

Barack Obama, Barack Obama Biography, Barack Hussein Obama, the Democratic, president of the United States, 44th President of the United States, Senator Obama, African-American president, Michelle Obama, general election, African American, President of the United States of America, August 4, University of Hawaii, Illinois State Senate

Washington Office
101 Constitution Ave., N.W.
Suite 375 East
December 23, 2008 Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 789-7850
The Honorable Barack Obama Fax: (202) 789-7859
Web: http://www.asce.org
President-Elect
415 6th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Re: Job Creation-Economic Recovery Legislation
Dear President-Elect Obama:
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) strongly supports your ambitious, long-term plan to
combat unemployment and foster continued economic growth through infrastructure investment. This
investment will create and sustain jobs, and begin to address the nation’s crumbling infrastructure if
appropriately applied to areas that most require federal support. As an important step to bolstering our
nation’s economic stability, this short-term stimulus package must supplement, rather than replace, long-
term solutions such as regular appropriations and scheduled reauthorizations that will ultimately restore
America’s world-class infrastructure.
To help ensure such confidence and accountability, ASCE strongly urges the adoption of ASCE’s
“Principles for Infrastructure Investment” (enclosed) as the economic recovery legislation is drafted.
The stimulus investment process must be transparent to the public and contain an auditing component to
determine if the projects desired outcomes are achieved.
By adopting and implementing the ASCE Principles, Congress can assure the American people that the
funds appropriated for infrastructure investment will produce desirable results such as: reducing
congestion and delays on America’s roadways; enhancing public transit systems, updating the nation’s
aviation system and replacing leaking water pipes.
Recognizing the budget problems being experienced by many states, for purposes of the economic
stimulus package, ASCE supports temporarily waiving state-local matching fund requirements. However,
we strongly urge Congress to develop and include a mechanism in the stimulus legislation which ensures
that federal funds are used to supplement, not supplant, already approved state and local infrastructure
funding. For the federal funds to have the stimulative affect intended, they must be additive.
ASCE and its 146,000 members stand ready to work with you, and the Congress to enact an economic
stimulus package which puts Americans back to work, upgrades the nation’s infrastructure and leads to a
sustainable economic recovery.
Sincerely,
D. Wayne Klotz, P.E.
President
Enclosure
Washington Office
101 Constitution Ave., N.W.
Suite 375 East
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 789-7850
Fax: (202) 789-7859
Web: http://www.asce.org
Principles for Infrastructure Stimulus Investment
The current recession has put hundreds of thousands of Americans out of work and left critical
infrastructure improvements across the country incomplete. The American Society of Civil Engineers
(ASCE) strongly supports the ambitious plan proposed by President-elect Barack Obama to combat
unemployment and foster continued economic growth through infrastructure investment. This investment
will create and sustain jobs, and begin to address the nation’s crumbling infrastructure if appropriately
applied to areas that most require federal support. As an important step to bolstering our nation’s
economic stability, this short-term stimulus package must supplement, rather than replace, long-term
solutions such as regular appropriations and scheduled reauthorizations that will ultimately restore
America’s world-class infrastructure.
ASCE has long been an advocate for improving and maintaining the nation’s infrastructure. The last
ASCE Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, issued in 2005, rated the overall condition of the
nation’s infrastructure a grade of “D” and recommended spending $1.6 trillion over five years to bring the
condition up to an acceptable level. Since that time federal funding has fallen far below that
recommended level, and early indications are that the grades will not be markedly improved for the 2009
Report Card, which will be released on March 25, 2009.
ASCE believes that all projects supported by an economic stimulus investment must meet the following
fundamental criteria:
• Projects must create and sustain employment increases;
• Investments must provide long term benefits to the public (such as congestion relief);
• Long term maintenance and upkeep needs of all infrastructure projects – existing and new – must
be taken into account; and
• To ensure accountability and transparency an auditing program must be established to review the
program and measure desired outcomes.
As the investments are made, proper attention must be paid to the prioritization and selection of these
projects to ensure that the criteria are met. The following principles should guide selection decisions:
• The project should deliver measurable improvements in public health, safety and quality of life;
• The project should provide substantial, broad-based economic benefit;
• The project should be designed and built in a sustainable and cost-effective manner, and proper
consideration must be given to life-cycle costs; and
• The project should have a significant environmental benefit such as area restoration, improved air
quality through reduced congestion and better watershed management through eliminating
vulnerabilities in a system.
December 17, 2008